I Only Have Ice For You
by SongBird312
Summary: One-shot. What happens when Samus is sent on an errand for Master Hand and her traveling companion is the very boy whose eyes have captivated her for years? And is it just his eyes that Samus has fallen in love with?


**First SSB one-shot! Inspired by the weather I see out the window. (Or at least the weather I did see just a few days ago, the snow's all melted now! =() But more is on the way! **

**Anyway, please enjoy the story!**

Tonight was the definition of a miserable winter evening. At least five inches of snow covered the ground, and the cloud-strewn sky only indicated that more was on the way. The wind was blowing the freshly fallen snow in delicate swirls all across the ground. And when it found an extra minute, that same wind would nip at those unfortunate enough to be caught outside.

And Samus Aran fell into that unlucky category. If she'd known it was going to be this miserable out, the young woman wouldn't have volunteered to turn in some of Master Hand's advertising forms to the newspaper company on the other end of Nintendo City. But not knowing what weather awaited her, the blonde had done it and was now mostly regretting it.

The only thing keeping this from being a thoroughly irritating task was Samus' traveling companion; Marth Lowell. Of all the guys residing at Smash Manor, Samus found the blunette the least irritating. And she'd never seen anyone with such blue eyes before… There was just something about Marth that captivated her.

The wind howled through the trees, dropping a small pile of powdery snow onto the duo.

"Oh gosh," Samus said, holding her hands up to try and block it. But she reacted too late and the snow fell all over her. She did her best to quickly brush it out of her blonde hair and off her face but she couldn't ignore the few flakes that had escaped down the back of her coat. They tickled her spine and she couldn't help but shiver.

"Cold?" Marth asked with a hint of sarcasm. Samus gave him a sideways glance with a small smile.

"No, I'm not cold at all. It's just what, ten degrees below freezing out here?" she replied jokingly. "No, I'm perfectly fine." Marth laughed a little, and Samus found herself smiling again. Something about the young prince just made her feel calm and happy. But she had no idea why…

"The weather's a tricky thing, isn't it?" Marth asked, looking up towards the sky. The full moon was trying to peek its way out of the clouds. "Two days ago it was pouring snow down on us. Yesterday, the sun was shining. Today…"

"It's decided to be so cold no living being in their right mind would want to be outside," Samus finished, looking over at Marth.

"Exactly," he replied, looking back at her. The little light shining down from the moon danced off of Marth's blue eyes, giving them a glassy appearance as if they'd were made of ice. "And I suppose it makes us crazy for going out tonight."

"I suppose it does," Samus responded, looking at the wintery world around them. They were nearing the end of the main street in Nintendo City, the end that lead into the path up to Smash Manor. They were still a good mile away, maybe fifteen minutes in good weather. But this was fairly bad weather they were in and the minimal time they were looking at was probably twenty minutes.

"So," Marth said, kicking a stone on the pavement and watching it roll away into the snow. "What do you wanna talk about?" Samus caught herself from giggling. Was he actually trying to make conversation with her? Not that she minded. It was just that, Marth didn't seem like the kind of guy that would even want to talk to a girl like her. She was very introverted and guarded and he seemed so open and carefree. Maybe that was just the boys he hung around with. Samus couldn't be sure though, and decided to keep her guard up. She'd had her heart broken before, and she wasn't about to go there again, even if Marth's eyes were the prettiest color she'd ever seen.

"I don't know. We really don't talk all that much, you and I," Samus replied honestly.

"I know. I think we should start," Marth said. Samus looked over at the young man to find him looking straight at her. "I'm serious." She sighed and looked down at the pavement. Isn't this how it had all started with Falcon? They'd got to talking, then they got closer, and then he'd asked her out and then… he'd cheated on her. Still being as guarded as she was, Samus couldn't, wouldn't let that happen to her heart ever again.

The wind blew an unusually cold gust into the duos' faces, bringing with it a few frosty flakes that stung their exposed faces. Samus shivered again, trying to bury her face into the collar of her coat, closing her eyes to block them from the chilly air. Then she felt something placed around her neck. She opened her emerald eyes so see Marth tying his scarf on her.

"What?" she asked quietly, fingering the blue scarf that was now providing if anything a little more warmth to her ice cold body.

"Don't want you catching a cold out here, would we?" Marth replied.

"But what about you?" Samus asked. "Won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine," Marth said with a shrug.

"Chivalry is a nearly dead language," Samus replied with a slight smile.

"I'm staging a comeback," Marth responded, smiling himself.

"Are you now?" Samus asked. "And how's it going?"

"I don't know. Is it working with you?" he asked in reply, looking over at her with a mock curiousness.

"Not at all," Samus answered with what she hoped was a joking tone.

"But we're talking," Marth pointed out.

"Oh you sneaky little," Samus said, giving Marth a small push in the shoulder as he just laughed. "You planned that, didn't you?"

"I wouldn't say planned," Marth replied. Samus shook her head. No denying it, she thought the young prince was adorable. But she wasn't sure if she could totally trust him. After all, this was exactly how she had hit it off with Falcon…

The sidewalk from Nintendo City had faded into the footpath leading up to Smash Manor. The dirt road was retaining the snow better than the concrete. Now each of the duos' steps crunched as they made their way along. Streetlights had been placed to illuminate the path that stretched through a patch of woods. The light from those streetlamps illuminated the travelers more than the patches of moonlight had. And that same light also made the rest of the world look darker, as though something was waiting there to jump out and pull them down into the frozen earth.

"Well, we might as well keep talking," Samus sighed. "The woods always make me feel a little uneasy, especially at night."

"Why?" Marth asked, sounding sincerely interested.

"What?" Samus asked.

"Why do the woods make you feel uneasy?" Marth repeated. "You said we should keep talking. Let's start there."

"Isn't that a little personal, starting with such a story?" Samus questioned, a new thought popping into her head. "Were you put up to this?"

"No," Marth said defensively.

"Seriously, who put you up to this?" Samus asked, stopping in her tracks. "Who dared you to get me to spill something personal about myself?" She felt anger starting to course through her veins. There were plenty of guys at the mansion that would want to break Samus' guarded personal life and use what they knew against her. And for all she knew, Marth wasn't above that level. But she couldn't see him below it.

"No one put me up to anything!" Marth insisted, stopping with her and staring her straight in the eye. "Master Hand asked me to accompany you last minute. I didn't plan to be traveling with you tonight. How on Earth could I be involved in any plan to do anything to you?" Samus looked away from the blunette, feeling a mix of anger and embarrassment. It was just like her to resort to being defensive and indignant.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "Force of habit to accuse everyone of trying to hurt me," she said as she began walking again, getting a head start on her companion. But soon enough, she could hear his steps crunching to catch up with her.

"You know, when you said we should talk, I thought you wanted to really talk with me," Marth called up to her as the wind went whistling around the two of them again. Samus stopped in her tracks again, hugging her arms around herself to keep warm. "You know, actually get to know each other a little."

Marth had a point there. She'd meant to actually have a conversation with him, but her insecurities had gotten in the way. If only she had never gone out with Captain Falcon last fall. That one relationship had thrown her off the edge with people in general. She'd been guarded when she became a Smasher, she let her guard down when Falcon had asked her out, and now her guard had gone up even higher because of the betrayal she'd faced. The only people she'd openly talk to now were her roommates.

"When I was younger, I once ended up alone in a forest like terrain on a planet I don't remember the name of," Samus said with a sigh. Marth had caught up with her and was now standing right next to her. "I was lost and confused and I couldn't find my way out. Then, this huge alien ran out in front of my path and scared me half to death. That's why woods always give me an uneasy feeling." The blonde looked up at the boy next to her.

"Now was that really all that bad?" Marth asked. "And now it's you're turn to ask me anything."

"Anything?" Samus asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Anything you want to know," Marth clarified.

"Alright," Samus said, looking up as she tried to think of a good question. What would Zelda ask Marth if she could ask him anything? The Hylian was had better social skills than the bounty hunter, and what could it hurt stealing a trick or two from her? Better yet, what would Peach ask if she was in this position? "If you weren't a Smasher, what do you think you'd be doing?" Marth was quiet for a second, thinking about his answer.

"Well," he finally said; "I think I'd be nearing the end of my training to be the next king of Altea. You know, learning how to be a good ruler as well as a knight so I could lead the army if necessary. Then I'd be officially coronated in April. Even though I'll be eighteen later this month and officially old enough, we'd still wait till the spring. It's always been that way. So that's what I'd be doing if I wasn't here, I'd be preparing to rule a kingdom."

"Really?" Samus responded, looking over at Marth. "You look too young to be almost eighteen." A slight blush rose in the young man's cheeks and Samus felt her own face heat up in embarrassment. "N-no offense of course!"

"N-none taken," Marth replied, looking down at the cold, dirt path that was inclining into a small hill. The mansion was a little ways over that hill. It now felt farther than that to Samus. Gosh, why did she have to be so socially awkward? Maybe she and Marth could've become really good friends, but instead she'd said something stupid that probably offended him. Who would ever want to be told they look way younger than their age? And that isn't even what she'd really meant. Marth didn't look all that young to her, but he did have an adorable youthfulness to him. If she didn't know him, she would've guessed he was sixteen.

Samus now felt that it was up to her to restart the conversation. "Is that what you want to do someday, rule Altea?" Marth sighed, his breath visible in the frigid air.

"Yes, actually, I do. I feel like it's my responsibility to follow in my father's footsteps and one day lead my people. But I honestly don't think I'm ready to yet," Marth admitted, looking down again with a sheepish smile. "That's why I'm glad I'm here. It's giving me a chance to, I don't know, grow up. And to make new friends… like you." The last part came in a whisper, and Samus wasn't even sure she'd heard it. But by the shy way Marth was still avoiding her eyes, the blonde assumed she'd heard right.

"Like… me?" she questioned. Marth finally met her gaze, his cerulean eyes practically glowing.

"Yeah," he answered. "We may not know each other very well, but I think you're great. I always have. Ever since I met you when I first became a Smasher two years ago." The blonde stopped walking abruptly, and Marth stopped too.

Samus could remember that time clearly; the time when the Smashers had grown from twelve to twenty five. And she could even more clearly remember meeting Marth. She'd been late to the opening meeting, and was running down what felt like the longest hallway ever which happened to be the only hallway that lead to the auditorium. As she ran, she didn't see the door open and the three figures walk out of it a few feet ahead of her and went slamming right into one of them. And that figure happened to be the blunette boy she was currently walking with. Naturally, she'd freaked out and was so embarrassed and apologized to him continually. But Marth had been so cool and friendly, assuring her that everything was fine and even helping her up even though she'd knocked him over. It was at that moment that Samus had first noticed Marth's eyes, and she had never forgotten them since.

That was also the first moment Samus had ever felt her heart skip a beat when she'd met someone. Should she have known then that Marth was different from the rest? Should she have bothered ignoring the feelings he gave her ever since that moment? Should she have fooled herself into thinking she loved Captain Falcon enough to still be hurting over her dead relationship with him? No. And it took standing here in the cold with Marth to figure all of that out.

"I think you're pretty great too," Samus whispered after her musings. She could feel Marth watching her, but trained her gaze on the frost covered ground. They were nearing the top of the hill. They're time together was almost over.

A light hand brushing away a tear Samus hadn't even realized was falling down her cheek broke her out of her thoughts, and the bounty hunter finally raised her emerald eyes to her companion, who had stepped a little closer to her. His hand lingered on her cheek; it was cold, but Samus could feel the warmth of the gesture through his icy fingers. She closed her hand around his, trying to warm it up. Samus squeezed Marth's hand gently.

"Samus," the young prince whispered, his voice even closer than before. "I…" But before he could finished, Samus gently pulled him into a soft kiss on the lips. This could be her last chance to be alone with Marth, and despite all of her insecurities, Samus went with her feelings and did it. If Marth ran away from her called her crazy, well that was a consequence she'd have to deal with. The blonde pulled away from the blunette and stared into his crystal blue eyes, waiting for a reply.

"Love you," Marth finished his sentence from before, his cheeks flaming red as he leaned forward into her lips again. Samus smiled on the inside; she'd thrown away her inhibition and gone with what her heart was saying and got the result she'd wanted. The second kiss lasted as long as the first, short but sweet. The two companions stood under the streetlamp light for a few minutes, just smiling shyly at each other. An icy gust of wind sent a shiver running down Samus' spine.

"Let's get inside. It's freezing out here," she said. Marth took her hand in agreement as the two continued on their way up the hill.

"You know, I never expected you to be big on responsibility," Samus admitted, still reflecting on what Marth had said about his future.

"Is it the guys I hang out with?" Marth asked.

"It's like you can read my mind," Samus replied.

"Thought so," Marth said with a laugh. "You see, my friends aren't as silly and immature as they come off as. They're actually very honorable; they understand responsibility, perseverance, courage, and integrity. But, being teenagers, we're all still trying to hold on to our last bit of childhood left before we have to be responsible adults." Samus had never thought of that before. She couldn't see Roy or Link or even Ike taking things seriously. Then again, when it came to battling, they did seem to lose a lot of their childishness.

Samus nodded. "I see." As the two continued on, their steps crushing in the snow, a few snowflakes started to fall. Then a few more, and still more until it was a full out snowfall. The wind had ceased to a few gusts here and there, letting the snow fall softly against the world. Samus and Marth looked up at the sky, blinking the small flakes out of their eyes.

"What do you know? The perfect ending to the perfect first date," Marth said with a cute smile.

"What?" Samus exclaimed, her cheeks glowing from shock and cold as she stared intently at her companion. Had he really just said? He returned her look with innocent confusion.

"Or does this not officially count as a first date?" he asked, his voice just as innocent and curious as his eyes. Samus couldn't help but smile at the young man's confusion.

"I didn't know we were officially dating," she replied. Marth's face turned about as red as a tomato at that remark.

"Oh… I'm s-so sorry! I just thought that… you know… with the kiss and everything," he stuttered, averting his eyes from hers nervously. "I just thought that we were, you know, kinda…" Samus brought her finger to his lips to silence him.

"When you said we should talk, I thought you really wanted to talk with me. You know, actually get to know each other a little," Samus said, quoting her companion from earlier. "And you know, it is your turn to ask me a question." Samus smiled at her clever comment as Marth finally set his blue eyes back on hers.

"Okay. How about this? Samus, will you go out with me?" he asked, trying to sound smooth and classy.

"Hm, that's a tough one," Samus replied, placing her hand on her chin and looking up as if she had to think hard about the answer. "Yes!" she cried after a few seconds. The two laughed, loving the feeling of being so close to someone that made them feel so good.

Samus hadn't realized it before, but maybe Marth had been the right choice for her all along. She'd always found him less annoying than the others and there was always his gorgeous eyes. Why hadn't she pursued his friendship after their first encounter two years ago? Why had she waited till now to get to know the guy her heart had fallen for years ago?

And standing there in the cold, snowy, winter night, Samus realized that she had in fact fallen for Marth; she'd fallen for him a long time ago. She'd made herself fall in love with Falcon so she could forget the feelings she had for Marth. Why had she done that? Was it because of the appearance she had of Marth? It must've been, because she'd stereotyped him as one of those egotistical guys that she'd never want to be with. But she'd been wrong, and had ended up giving her heart to the kind of guy she'd wanted to avoid. And she'd let herself become guarded again, she'd let the walls surround her again after Falcon cheated on her. She closed herself off from the world again. Why couldn't she followed her heart from the start and pursued her feelings for Marth?

"I can't believe we started off this evening hardly knowing each other, and now we're a couple," Marth commented as the two approached the front of the dazzling Smash Manor. The front door was usually kept locked, though, so the two made their way to the bridge that lead to the backyard.

"It seems almost fairytale-like, doesn't it?" Samus asked in reply, looking up at the cloudy sky dreamily. "The two people who meet and immediately fall in love."

"Very fairytale like. But what else can you expect when they guy you love is a prince?" Marth asked with a hint of sarcasm. Samus found herself giggling.

"You have quite the sense of humor, I've noticed," she said, leaning in closer to him as the wind started to blow again. "And I have to admit, I liked you before tonight."

"Me too," Marth answered, giving her hand a squeeze. "I've kind of had a crush on you since my first day here; the day you ran into me. I think it was your eyes."

"You're kidding!" Samus exclaimed with a laugh. "It was your eyes that caught my attention too!"

"Well then, I guess we're even more perfect for each other than we thought if it was the same day that we fell for each other over the same trait," Marth replied as the neared the end of the bridge that lead into another pathway that lead to the house. "We should do this again sometime. Just me and you." Samus nodded.

"Yes we should," she agreed, looking up at the mansion. "Things are going to get crazy in there once everyone knows we're dating." Secretly, Samus didn't want anyone to know. When word of a new couple amongst the Smashers leaked out, it became major gossip news in Nintendo City. And Samus was still a little too guarded and socially awkward to deal with something like that.

"What's wrong?" Marth asked, noticing Samus's sudden silence and apparent thought.

"Marth would you mind it we, if we kept our relationship a secret?" she asked nervously as the two reached the back porch of the mansion. They continued to stand under the snow though. "So that people don't…"

"Gossip about us and we don't get thrown under the spotlight?" Marth finished for her. "Of course. I know you're not really into that kind of thing, and to be honest, neither am I." Samus took a step back from the blunette to look at him clearly.

"Really?" she asked, expecting a different reaction.

"Of course!" Marth answered with a sincere smile. "I just want you to be happy."

"Oh where have I heard that one before?" Samus asked sarcastically with a smile to let Marth know she was joking with him. He wasn't the only one who was allowed to be funny in this relationship.

"Laugh all you want, but I have to tell you that it's cheesy lines like that that get the girls," Marth replied, squeezing her hand. "Now let's get inside before we freeze like popsicles!"

~The Next Day~

"Achoo!"

"I told you, chivalry is a dead language," Samus said as she sat down next to her boyfriend. "You should've kept your scarf for yourself. Then we wouldn't be in this position now."

"But look on the bright side, now we get to spend time together and no one will know we're dating!" Marth replied with a smile that even Samus had to admit was still adorable. And he had a point. They had been assigned as partners for the training tournament today (what luck!). But Marth had woken up with a bad cold and was unable to fight, so they'd been taken out of the tournament and now had the whole day to spend with no one else but each other.

"Ok, maybe the position we're in isn't all that bad," Samus admitted. "Just don't get me sick and it'll be perfect." Marth smiled again, resting his head on his girlfriend's shoulder. She wrapped her arm around him in return.

"We'll see about that," he said jokingly. Samus shook her head and placed her hand on the blunette's forehead.

"You've got a slight fever," she stated, feeling slightly concerned.

"I'm aware. Care to be my cowbell?" Marth replied, still entertainingly witty even while sick.

"Just go to sleep, you weirdo," Samus shook her head again before kissing the young prince lightly on the head.

"But I'm your weirdo," Marth responded.

**And that's my attempt at a one-shot. I've always liked this pairing, and all the snow outside (or the snow that was outside!) persuaded me to write a winter themed one. **

**The cowbell is a reference to Saturday Night Live. It's one of the scenes my mom showed me years ago that I've never forgotten. **

**Review please! I love to hear what you think and I appreciate constructive criticism. But I'm not the biggest fan of flames. **

**Read on! =)**


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